Self-closing funnel for bottles, jars and the like



Jan. 13, 1959 A. B. NELSON SELF-CLOSING FUNNEL FOR BOTTLES, JARS AND THELIKE Filed Se t. 4, 1956 ANLAUG B. NELSON INVENTOR.

BY M M 7 nited States Patent SELF-CLOSING FUNNEL FOR BOTTLES, JARS ANDTHE LIKE Anlaug B. Nelson, Cordova, Territory of Alaska ApplicationSeptember 4, 1956, Serial No. 607,907

4 Claims. (Cl. 141-286) This present inventionrelates to the generalclass of funnels used in directing liquids into small-mouthedcontainers, and more particularly this invention relates to the specificclass of invention wherein the funnel is provided with valving meanswhich is held open by resting the entire device on the bottle beingfilled with liquid and then, by raising the body of the funnel, gravityseats the shutoff valve, and the funnel with its contents may be liftedoff the bottle without spillage.

In the past many attempts have been made to improve on the ordinaryfunnel, especially funnels for use in filling small-mouthed bottles andjars. In the past one of the great problems has been to be able toquickly fill a bottle and then shut the flow off without overfilling thebottle or running liquid over the mouth of the bottle or jar. The needfor a funnel of this order has led to many attempts to solve thisspecific problem, and a number of these devices have been studied.However, those observed have been so constructed that they were notcertain in operation and many times were of such a structure as to beeasily stopped, especially in the 2,868,246 Patented Jan. 13, 1959 tion.

closing of a valve when a small amount of solid matter came between thecarefully fitted parts of the device. This problem was particularlyaggravated in the handling of milk, where butter fat tends to cling tothe tubular portions of any filling device and then, unless the deviceis particularly adapted for this service, it soon loses its certainty ofoperation.

In my present device I have provided a valve which is gravity-operatedduring the closing cycle and which is mechanically operated to open sameand start the filling operation. In my present funnel arrangementspecial means are provided to insure that minimum interference with theoperation of the device from any solids, greases or butter fat that maybe contained in the liquids passing through the device. As a result Ihave produced a funnel arrangement which makes the filling of bottles,for instance, a very easily effected precision operation, while at thesame time making it possible to fill bottles much more rapidly than hasheretofore been possible with any of the equipment I have been able toobserve.

A principal object of this present invention, therefore, is to provide avalved funnel arrangement in which the essential parts are provided withample tolerances to insure the free working of the device under most alloperational conditions and at the same time provide a unit that, becauseof its liberal tolerances, can be made quite inexpensively and thus soldto the using personnel at a reasonable price. v

A further object of my invention is to provide a funnel that will permitof precisely filling bottles, jars and the like to a predeterminedlevel.

A further object of my invention is to provide a valved funnel soarranged as to admit of very fast handling with the minimum of care andattention from the operator.

Furtherobjects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from thedescription and disclosure in the draw- Figure 3 is an enlarged verticalsectional view showing a portion of the funnel neck as in Figure 2, butwith the parts in the position occupied when the funnel is dispensingliquids.

Figure 4 is an elevational view showing my funnel in use.

55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 66 of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings, thenumeral 10 designates the main bowl portion of my funnel. This should beof a size to normally accommodate suflicient liquid to fill the usualbottle with which this equipment is to be used. In some instances thiswould not be practical, and such an example is shown in Figure 4, inwhich a gallon sized glass bottle 12 is being filled, and naturally itwould be both unwieldy and too large for convenient storage if thefunnel arrangement were made large enough to hold, say, a full gallon.Secured to bowl 10 is a convenient handle 14, and at its lower portion,where the bowl 10 is brought in as in a more or less conventionalfunnel, a spoutlike ferrule 16 is fixedly secured in place. In thepresent showing the ferrule is provided with an exterior flange 18 and aspaced-apart bead 20. Bead 20 is preferably formed on a heading machineand thus very snugly engages the two washers 22. and 24 in fixedrelationship on the flange portion 26 formed at the lower extremity ofthe bowl 10. For a portion equal to one-half or one-third of the lengthof spout member 16 the interior bore is cylindrical and the balance ofthe bore is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending ribs as 30for purposes which will be explained later.

Disposed for limited reciprocation within bushing 16 is valve member 34.This member is generally tubular in form and is provided, however, witha solid head portion as 36. Near the head portion a plurality ofliquidpassing openings 38 are provided so that this member, when in theposition shown in Figure 3, will pass liquid through the plurality ofopenings 38 where it will flow downwardly through the interior bore 40into the vessel or bottle being filled. I

On both sides of the openings 38, which are preferably disposedannularly around tubular member 34, the outer surface of tube 34 iscylindrical in form so that it will form a close tolerance fit with theinterior bore of bushing 16. This is for the purpose of providing anadequate shutoff valve which to this extent is acting as a piston valve.It will be noted thatthe upper cap portion of the valve member isperipherally beveled as at 42 milk and other dairy products, will have aspace where they can collect and still not build up to a degree toFigure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line.

interfere with the working of the valve arrangement, provided, ofcourse, that the funnel is" well cleaned and sterilized after eachperiod of use.

At its lower end the tubular valve member 34 is provided with aplurality of outwardly extending detents 35, and these detents, of whichthere are preferably three, are adapted to seat in an annular groove 37formed in the outer spout member 50. This arrangement tends to fixedlysecure the valve member 34 to the exterior spout member 50 and thus anexterior element is available to cause the functioning of the valveproper under any normal conditions of use. The exterior spout member 50*is belled at its upper end at 51 so as to avoid contact with the variousportions of the bowl 10, its cylindrical spout 16 and the washer 24secured to the bottom portion of bowl 10. If the funnel is to be usedonly on narrow-necked bottles, then the belled portion 51, as indicated,is sufficient. However, in many cases it is desirable to fillwide-mouthed jars such as fruit jars and the like, and for this purposeinwardly directed detents or spacing means 54 are provided, preferablydie formed, from the sheet metal stock of the belled portion 51 ofexterior spout member 50. These spacers will prevent the deformation ofbelled portion 51, when bowl is filled with liquid, from making intimatecontact between the surface 56 and the outer surface as 58 of the bowl10. In so doing a very ample air escape path is provided.

In filling bottles, particularly, air must escape in direct proportionas the amount of liquid poured into the bottle, and a pathway must beprovided for the same when, as in the construction shown, the flaredportion 51 of the exterior nozzle 50 will tend to form a seal with themouth of the bottle or jar and prevent the escape of air. To overcomethis the passageway 40 of the valve member is kept considerably smallerin cross-sectional area than the bore 60 of the exterior spout member50, and in this way air'can find its Way up bore 60, passing between thedetents 35 and out between surfaces 56 and 58.

As a precaution to prevent any large curds or fruit particles or thelike passing into and clogging the valve mechanism, a removable stainer64 is provided, in which the bottom is pierced with a large number ofsmall openings 66. This strainer is preferably made to fit snugly withinthe upper portion of bowl 10 so that it can be used very convenientlyand will store conveniently with the funnel itself. In keeping with manydevices of this order, graduation marks are provided as at 68, whichwill show on the interior surface of bowl 10 and indicate the number ofcups of liquid measure in the bowl.

In Figure 4 one manner of using this device is shown in which the funnelitself is merely seated within the neck of bottle 12 and holds itselfthere by its tapered form, so that the user can employ both hands tohandle a container as C while pouring into the funnel and finally havingthe liquid pass into a vessel 12. This is a secondary use of theequipment, as normally it will be held by handle 14 and the liquid forentry into small bottles will be wholly contained within bowl 10 andwill be periodically replenished.

It is-believed that it will be clearly apparent from the abovedescription and the disclosure in the drawings that the inventioncomprehends a novel construction of self-closing funnel.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A self-closing funnel for bottles, jars and the like, comprising: abowl-shaped body having a full diameter open top and a bottom having arelatively small discharge opening, a cylindrical ferrule, forming aninterior spout, secured in said discharge opening, in axial alignmentwith said bowl, having an interior cylindrical bore in its upper end anda lower bore portion having a plur'ality of inwardly directed,longitudinally extending ribs, a valve member adapted for limitedreciprocation with in said ferrule and having a tubular form and asolidhead closing the upper end and providing an outwardly extending valveflange, a plurality of openings in the wall of said valve member'nearits closed end, a bevel-seated valve surface-formed on said valve flangeand a coacting beveled valve seat formed in the upper end of saidferrule, an outer spout, having a belled upper end, secured to saidvalve member and in generally spaced relationship therefrom for thepurpose of providing an air passageway, a flanged extension for theupper end of said outer. spout and disposed in spaced relationship tothe bottom of the funnel 'body, spacing means adapted to provide an airpassageway between said outer spout and the bottom of the funnel bodyadjacent it, said outer spout having a bore with a cross-sectional areasubstantially larger than the cross-sectional area of the bore of saidvalve member, and a strainer adapted to fit into the upper portion ofthe funnel body.

2. A self-closing funnel for bottles, jars and the like, comprising: abowl-shaped body having a full diameter open top and a bottom having arelatively small discharge opening, a cylindrical ferrule, forming aninterior spout, secured in said discharge opening, and having a bore inaxial alignment with said bowl, a valve member adapted for limitedreciprocation within said ferrule and having a tubular form and a solidhead closing the upper end and providing an outwardly extending valveflange, an opening in the wall of said valve member near its closed enddisposed to pass fluid when the valve is in its upper position, an outerspout, having a belled upper end, secured to the lower end of the lowerend of said valve member and in generally spaced relationship therefromfor the purpose of providing an air passageway, a flanged extension forthe upper end of said outer spout and having a contour similar to thebottom of the funnel body, spacing means adapted to provide an airpassageway between said outer spout and the bottom of the funnel bodyadjacent it, said outer spout having a bore with a cross-sectional areasubstantially larger than the crosssectional area of the bore of saidvalve member.

3. A self-closing funnel for bottles, jars and the like, comprising: abody having a full diameter open top and a bottom having a relativelysmall discharge opening, a cylindrical ferrule, forming an interiorspout, secured in said discharge opening, in axial alignment with saidbowl, and having an interior cylindrical bore in its upper end andinwardly extending spacing ribs in its lower end, a valve member adaptedfor limited reciprocation within said ferrule and having a tubular formand a solid head closing the upper end and providing an outwardlyextending flange, said valve having an interior bore of uniform diameterand an outer surface of two diameters the larger at its upper end, meansfor spacing the valve member away from said ferrule interior surfaceexcept at its upper end, a plurality of openings in the wall of saidvalve member near its closed end, a valve surface formed on said valveand a coacting valve seat formed in the upper end of said ferrule, anouter spout, having a belled upper end, secured to said valve member andin generally spaced relationship therefrom for the purpose of providingan air passageway, spacing means disposed between said outer spout andthe bottom of the funnel body adjacent it, adapted to provide adisplaced air passageway, said outer spout having a bore with acrosssectional area substantially larger than the cross-sectional areaof the bore of said valve member.

4. A self-closing funnel for bottles, jars and the like, comprising: abowl-shaped body having an open top and a bottom having a relativelysmall discharge opening, a tube, forming an interior spout, secured insaid discharge opening, and having an interior cylindrical bore in itsupper end, a narrow flange formed in said bowl, encircling saiddischarge opening and disposed at right angles to the vertical axis ofsaid bowl, two coacting,

, spaced washers secured in clamping relationship on opposite sides ofsaid flange by an exterior flange and a spaced apart bead formed on saidtube, said bead being machine formed to provide adequate clampingpressure on said washers, a valve member adapted for limitedreciprocation within said tube and having a tubular form and a closedhead atits upper end and providing an outwardly extending valve flange,a plurality of openings in thelwall of said valve member near its closedend, a bevel-seated valve surface formed on said valve flange and acoacting beveled valve seat formed in the upper end of said tube, anouter spout, secured to said valve member and in generally spacedrelationship therefrom 10 for the purpose of providing an airpassageway, spacing means adapted to provide an air passageway betweensaid outer spout and the bottom of the funnel body adjacent it, and saidouter spout having a bore with a cross-sectional area substantiallylarger than the crosssectional area of the bore of said valve member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 57,347Lochman Aug. 21, 1866 502,881 Fox Aug. 8, 1893 FOREIGN PATENTS 172,377Germany Sept. 10, 1952

